The Glass Cafe: Or the Stripper and the State, How My Mother Started a War with the System that Made us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous

Gr 6–9—Growing up with a terrific single mom who works as an exotic dancer never bothered Tony. But when he draws some of the dancers at the Kitty Kat Club for an art class homework assignment and they end up in an art show, social services is called in to investigate his unique home life. After a disastrous visit from a social worker and a policeman, Tony and his mom, Al, are arrested and a media frenzy ensues. A biker, the SWAT team, Charles Dickens, and a couple of attorneys are also involved in Paulsen's thoughtful and entertaining story (Wendy Lamb Bks., 2003). Narrator Tod Haberkorn turns in an energetic and honest performance as Tony, creating a likeable kid who listeners will be rooting for. The audience will be immersed in 12-year-old Tony's nonstop, high-octane perspective of the world, or his tiny corner of it, from beginning to end. This edgy audiobook will have listeners talking about it long after its conclusion.—Jennifer Mann, Cromaine Library, MI